The first four dayes after Penning; Feed him with the Crumb of Old Manchet cut into square bits, thrice a day, and with the Coldest, and Sweetest Spring-water that can be had. And after you think by this time he is throughly purged of his Corne, Wormes, Gravel, and other course Feeding, take him in the Morning out of the Pen, and let him Sparr with another Cock some time to heat and chafe their Bodies, break Fat and Glut, and fit them for Purgation; first having covered their Spurs with Hots of Leather, to hinder their Wounding and drawing Blood of one another.
After they have sufficiently Sparred, that they pant again, take them up, and remove their Hots, and prepare them for a Diaphoretick or Sweating Bout thus: Take Butter, and Rosemary finely chopt, and White-Sugar-candy, mixt together; and give them the quantity of a Wallnut; which will scower, strengthen, and prolong Breath: Then having (purposely) deep Straw Baskets, fill them half way with Straw, put in your Cock, and cover him with Straw to the top; lay the lid close, and let him stove till the Evening. At Five a Clock take him out, and lick his Head and Eyes with your Tongue, then Pen him, and fill his Trough with Manchet (as above) and hot Urine.
After this, let his Diet be of Bread thus made: Take a Gallon of Wheat, and Oat-meal-flower, and with Ale, half a score Whites of Eggs, and Butter, work it into a stiff Paste; bake it into broad Cakes, and when four dayes Old, cut it into square Bits, as abovesaid.
The second day after Sparring, bring your Cock into a Green Close, and shew him in your Arms a Dung-hill-Cock, then run from him, and allure him thus to follow, suffering him now and then to strike the Dunghill-Cock, and so Chase him up and down for half an Hour, till he pants again; and thus heated, carry him home, and scower him with half a Pound of Fresh-Butter, beaten with the Leaves of the Herb of Grace, Hysop, and Rosemary, to the consistence of a Salve, and give him the quantity of a VVallnut, then Stove, and Feed him as above. And thus for the first Fortnight, Spar or Chase him every other day.
The second Fortnight, twice a Week will be enough to Chase or Spar your Cock: Observing, that you Stove and Scower him, proportionable to his Heating.
The Third and Last Fortnight (for Six Weeks is long enough) Feed him as before, but do not Spar him, but Chase him moderately twice, or thrice, as before; then roll his aforesaid scowring in Brown-Sugar-candy, to prevent his being Sick; rest him four dayes, and then to the Pit.
Now, Gentlemen, Match your Cock Carefully, or what you have hitherto done, is nothing. And here Observe the Length, and Strength of Cocks. The Length is thus known: Gripe the Cock by the Waste, and make him shoot out his Legs, and in this Posture compare, And have your Judgment about you. The Strength is known by this Maxime, The largest in the Garth, is the strongest Cock. The Dimension of the Garth, is thus known: Gripe the Cock about from the joynts of your Thumb, to the points of your Great Finger, and you will find the Disadvantage. The weak long Cock is the quickest easier Riser, and the short strong one, the surest Striker.
Thus being well Matcht, accoutre him for the Pit. Clip his Main off close to his Neck, from his head to his shoulders. Clip his Tail close to his Rump, the Redder it appears the better. His Wings sloping, with sharp Points [ware Eye Adversary:] Scrape smooth, and sharpen his Spurs; leave no feathers on his Crown; then moisten his head with Spittle; and now favour us Fortune.
The Battle done search, and suck your Cocks wounds, and wash them well with hot Urine, then give him a Roll of your best Scowring, and stove him for that Night. If he be swelled, the next morning, suck and bathe his Wounds again, and pounce them with the Powder of the Herb Robert, thro a fine Bag; give him an handfull of Bread in warm Urine, and stove him, till the swelling be down. If he be hurt in his Eye, chew a little ground Ivy, and Spit the Juice in it; which is good for Films, Haws, Warts, &c. Or if he hath veined himself in his fight, by narrow striking, or other cross blows, when you have found the hurt, bind the soft Down of Hare to it, will cure it.
When you visit your wounded Cocks, a month or two after you have put them to their Walks, if you find about their heads any swollen Bunches, hard and blackish at one end, then there are unsound Cores undoubtedly in them; therefore open them, and with your Thumb crush them out, suck out the Corruption, and fill the holes with fresh Butter; and that will infallibly cure them.